Wind Farm Comes Online in Jordan

The first and largest utility scale wind power plant in Jordan, the Tafila Wind Farm, was inaugurated on December 17. The 117-megawatt generating capacity wind farm is connected to the national grid and is capable of producing 400 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually. The project, which was developed in response to the 2010 renewable energy law calling for around 10 percent of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020, is in line with Jordan’s plans to diversify energy sources and pro

King Abdullah II opened the 38-turbine wind farm before taking a tour of the plant, which is owned and managed by the Jordan Wind Project Co. At JD85 per megawatt-hour ($120), the wind turbines will produce electricity at less than half the cost of generation for conventional power sources. The project may save the government around $50 million a year, and at full capacity is capable of supplying around 3.5 percent of the country's annual electricity consumption.

The project's foundation stone was laid in April 2014 and construction was completed in August 2015. The project includes 38 VESTAS V112 wind turbines. Tafila was chosen for the project site due to its steady, unobstructed wind flow, speed and direction.

Jordan Wind Project Co. includes InfraMed Infrastructure Fund (France), Masdar (UAE) and EP Global Energy (Cyprus). The International Finance Corp. and the European Investment Bank arranged project financing. Participants in the lender syndicate included the Dutch Development Bank, Europe Arab Bank and OPEC Fund for International Development. The Export Credit Agency of Denmark provided a guarantee for a portion of the loans.